Safety: LASIK VS Contact Lenses

When considering LASIK over contact lenses, many patients’ biggest concern is the safety of LASIK. What many do not realize is that patients have a higher risk of losing correctible vision with contact lenses than by undergoing LASIK eye surgery, a one-time surgical procedure. In fact, that risk is perhaps up to 10 times higher.

Many contact lens wearers do not properly take care of their lenses and this is what can cause infection. For example, wearing contacts during sleep, swimming in them, not cleaning them properly, and not replacing them regularly increases the risk of infection and could damage eyesight permanently. However with LASIK, the laser technology being used today is the safest it has ever been.

LASIK provides phenomenal precision and very predictable results. A person with a typical refractive error has a 93% chance of having their vision fully corrected after the LASIK procedure and without requiring additional treatment, contacts, or glasses. For those who still have some refractive error after surgery, the majority can be re-treated to achieve optimal results. In terms of the risk of losing correctible vision as a result of the surgery, the risk is extremely small – only 1 in 1,000 experience significant complications. 

Ophthalmologist Clayton Falknor, M.D. said, “Of all the things that I do surgically, LASIK is the most accurate and the most consistent with the best results. After healing, your eyesight is normally stable for 10-20 years, depending on your age at the time of surgery.”

If you are interested in LASIK, but concerned about the safety, speak with your ophthalmologist about the procedure. At Eye Clinic of Austin, we offer free LASIK consultations to determine candidacy for the procedure. This appointment also provides patients an opportunity to speak with the eye doctor, ask questions, and discuss any concerns.

The Right Time to Remove Cataracts

Historically, a cataract was ready to remove when it was “ripe.” This antiquated term was used to delay surgery until the cataract was advanced. Thankfully, that era has passed. Today, wonderful improvements in both cataract surgery and lens implants, including laser cataract surgery, routinely provide excellent vision, (often without glasses, depending upon the implant).

Medicare pays for cataract surgery when vision is 20/40 or worse. If cataracts interfere with something important, such as driving or reading, Medicare may pay for surgery earlier. The key is that the symptoms must be caused by the cataract, interfere with important life activities and must not be correctable by simpler means such as new glasses.

If your vision is worse than 20/40 but meets your needs, a delay in cataract surgery usually will not harm your eye or make the surgery more difficult. Medicare has recently found that cataract surgery by itself reduces the risk of falling and breaking a hip by 20%. Do not wait so long that your cataract is visible or “ripe” in the old sense and risk breaking a hip. Instead, see your eye doctor regularly to monitor your cataract, and when the time is right, enjoy your best possible vision for the rest of your life.